Toy base-ball game



(No Model.)

J. A. MEAHER. TOY BASE BALL GAME.

Patented Peb. 7, 189s.

No. AQLZA'?,

[5 WTINESEES mx omas Patins co. Fumo-uno, wxsmnron nv c FnTnnT @Trina JOSEPH A. MEAHER,

TOY BASEI OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

BALL GME.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,247, dated February 7^, 1893.

Application led January 30, 1892. Serial lilod 419,853. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern/.7

Be it known that l, JOSEPH A. MEAHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of' Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Toy Base-Ball Game, of which the following is a description.

,lll y invention relates to devices in which a pitcher' or an apparatus for propelling a ball, a hat, and ten metal receivers or catchers are placed in the saine relative positions as those occupied by nien in the well known game ot' base ball and are secured to a flatboard or iield having a raised guard.

The object of my invention is to provide devices for playing the toy gaine of base ball, by one or more persons, in miniature. l attain this object by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the followln g specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view et iny devices; Fig. 2, an enlarged, side view of the pitcher er propelling apparatus; Fig. 3, an enlarged side view of one of the spring receivers or catchers, with the ball caught beneath it, and Fig. Il, an enlarged side view of the bat.

Similar letters refer 'to similar parts in the drawings and specilication.

The square, dat field or board A, has the raised guard B, on its four sides, of sufficient height to prevent a ball from rolling oft the field and has marked upon it the large square C, the two foul lines a, the pitchers box l), and the batsmans station c, or home plate.

To the board A, are secured the propelling apparatus or pitcher D, the bat E, and the spring receivers or catchers F, and F. The pro pelling or pitching apparatus D, is at one end ot a guide e, and consists of a horizontal bed or plate fr at either end of which are the uprights g and h, Fig'. 2. The rod f,being turned down so as to form the collar j, at one extremity, is rnade to slide easily through openings in the nprights g and h. The spring 7c, bearing at one end against the upright g, and at the other end against pin Z, passing through the rod i', has a constant tendency to torce the rod fi, forward until the washer m, alone separates the rod c', from the upright YL. The lever G, turns upon 'the pin n, which connects said le ver to the forked head of the upright g, and the head o, being much heavier than the rest of the lever G, lforces the latch p, down in front ot' the collar j, when the rod t, is pushed back, and securely holds it in the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. 2, when the forward end g, of the lever Gr, is pushed down, the latch p, releases the rod t', which yis projected forward with considerable `orce by the spring 7c, until the washer m, strikes the upright 7L as indicated by the dotted lines Fig. 2, and if la ball be placed before the forward end of the rod r,when said rod is drawn back, upon the release of the saine the ball will be propelled to a considerable distance and in a straight line7 (owing to the induence ot the guide c, through which it passes,) over the home plate.

To the post r, which is fastened to the disk s, and that in turn fastened to the board A, is pivoted the bat E, at a point sufficiently high to strike the ball, driven toward it by the pitcher D it the bat is released at the right time. The link t, is pivoted at one end to the iiattened prolongation n, of the bat E, and at the other end to the unattached extremity of the spring fu. When the bat E, is in the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. l, it will be readily seen that the end at u, of the link 15, is beyond the center, hence the force of the spring c, exerted along a line extending from the iixed end w, of the spring o, to the center ot the post r, will not aitect the position of the hat E, but when the bat E, is moved so as to bring the prolongation u, back olf the center, the force of the spring o, will swing the bat E, around in the direction indicated by the arrow l, until the hat E, and the link z5, assume the position ot the dotted lines.

The spring receivers or catchers F and F', are ot sufficiently flexible metal to hold the ball when driven beneath their projecting prongs and are secured at the base y, to the boar-dA in the position relatively occupied by a base ball nine. The receiver F', is necessarily in two parts for the purpose of leaving an unobstructed passage for the ball on its way toward the bat. As the ball H, is projected forward by the pitcher D, the bat E, is pushed by the center until brought under the ini'lucnce of the spring fn, when it swings forcibly around striking tlie ball H, as it passes over the lionne plate c, (provided the bat is sprung at the proper tima) and the ball H,is

then driven over the board, when it may be caught and held by one of the receivers or catchers F, or F', as at I-I, which is an out for the batter. In case the ball is driven between the receivers or catchers F, F, or it' the said Catchers fail to hold the ball it then counts for a base hit, four of such base hits score a run. Vhen the said catchers have received and held three balls, then the side which is at' the bat E, takes the field and the gaine is again repeated as herein before described.

This toy game is to be played Linder the rules, as nearly as posible, as those recognized in the national game.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a toy base ball game, a ball catching and holding device comprising a strip of resilient material irnilysecu red at one end only, and havin gits free end bent vertically upward,

and then at a slight angle to the horizontal, and directed toward the point from which the ball will come, substantially as described.

2. In a toy base ball game, a ball catching device consisting of a strip of resilient metal rinly secured at one end and inclining upwardly toward the point from which ther ball will come, substantially as described.

3. In a toy base ball gaine, a ball catching device consisting of a strip of resilient material firmly secured at one end, and having its other end bifurcated and inclined upwardly toward the point from which the ball is to come, substantially as described.

In testilnon y whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH A. MEAHER.

IVitnesses:

L. F. GRIswoLD, JULIUs MUELLER. 

